Weather, terror attacks and fatal road crashes were among the most read stories across all platforms in January.
UTV Ireland kicked off the New Year with the launch of its new station going live from its Dublin base at 7.25pm with a short promotional video and then straight into an episode of Coronation Street.
On 6 January four young women lost their lives in a crash near Athy, Co Kildare – Aishling Middleton, 19, Niamh Doyle, 19, Gemma Nolan, 19 and 20-year-old Chermaine Carroll - all died while their friend and driver of the car Dayne Kearney, 20, was seriously injured.
On 7 January two gunmen burst into the offices of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris and shot dead 10 people at an editorial meeting, and two policemen.
The story dominated the headlines for the next two days with the shooting dead of a policewoman in Paris on 8 January and two hostage situations on 9 January, resulting in the deaths of four people in a Kosher supermarket before the three suspects in both incidents were killed.
On 13 January Met Eireann issued five weather warnings - two of which were Status Orange – the second most severe – as snow, ice, thundery showers of hail, sleet and snow were forecast along with winds of up to 130km/h in some areas.
On 13 January a security alert at the Intel plant in Leixlip proved a popular story even though the incident itself was a short-lived affair.
Leo and Miriam
On 18 January, while being interviewed by Miriam O’Callaghan on RTE Radio 1, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar confirmed he is gay.
He said he decided to speak about his sexuality, because as a minister, he would be campaigning for the Government's referendum in support of same-sex marriage.
February saw a number of high-profile legal stories, an escaped prisoner and a big Lotto win.
On 4 February, 31 people lost their lives when a plane hit a motorway bridge in Taiwan before crashing into a river.
Fifteen people survived the crash, including one family who moved seats before the plane went down.
5 February brought the news that a controversial Lotto draw, the first delayed draw in the history of the lottery, had made one ticket-holder over €10m richer.
Settlement
The Lotto jackpot paled in comparison to another story from the same day - the news that Rory McIlroy had settled his case with Horizon management, for a figure believed to be €22m.
Murphy arrested
On 9 February, Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy was arrested and questioned over a water charges protest in which Tánaiste Joan Burton was trapped in her car for over two hours.
Murder
On 12 February, a guest was shot dead ahead of a wedding in Co Fermanagh
Pic: Ronan McGrade/Fermanagh Herald
Fugitive
The biggest story of the month came on Wednesday 18 February, when convicted armed robber Derek Brockwell escaped from custody in Tallaght Hospital
Brockwell was subsequently recaptured by police in Belfast
March 2015
On 12 March Today FM and former RTÉ radio presenter Tony Fenton died after battling prostate cancer since 2010.
Ireland experienced a partial solar eclipse on Friday 20 March, although cloud cover meant that many parts of the country did not get to experience the solar spectacular.
On 25 March, 150 people were killed after a Germanwings aircraft flying from Barcelona to Duesseldorf crashed in the Alps in southern France.
It later emerged co-pilot Andreas Lubitz crashed the plane deliberately.
On 27 March Graham Dwyer was found guilty of the murder of Elaine O'Hara on Kilakee Mountain in Rathfarnham on 22 August 2012.
A jury of seven men and five women took just over seven and a half hours to find Dwyer, who denied the allegations, guilty in a unanimous decision.
March saw two long-running court cases ending almost simultaneously.
On 30 March Ian Bailey lost his High Court civil action against An Garda Síochána and the State.
April 2015
April was dominated by the sad news of the death of Irish student Karen Buckley in Glasgow.
A 21-year-old man was eventually charged with her murder.
Boston bombing
On 8 April, a jury found Dzokhar Tsarnaev guilty of killing three people and injuring 264 in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, as well as fatally shooting a police officer four days later.
After refusing to leave a day earlier because of a large media presence, Eamonn Lillis left Wheatfield Prison on 11 April, after serving just over five years for the manslaughter of his wife, Celine Cawley.
Lillis emerged from a door in the prison complex at 9.40am and got into a waiting taxi, which brought him to Dublin Airport.
April also saw Dunnes Stores workers take industrial action over conditions and contracts.
Thousands of staff staged a one-day strike in a dispute over low-hour contracts, job and income security and the right to trade union representation.
The month also saw an Irishman die in a construction accident in New York. 40-year-old Trevor Loftus was killed when a crane fell on top of him.
On Tuesday 21 April, Graham Dwyer was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Elaine O'Hara.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt said it was a sentence "he richly deserves".
On the same day, Mark Nash was found guilty of a double murder almost 20 years earlier.
A jury unanimously found Nash guilty of the murders of 59-year-old Sylvia Sheils and 61-year-old Mary Callinan in March 1997.
May 2015
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla spent two days in Ireland on a royal visit from 19 May.
The Prince of Wales famously shook hands with Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams during his visit.
Prince Charles and his wife also visited Mullaghmore in Sligo, where the Prince's great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, was murdered by the IRA.
Ireland voted Yes to the marriage referendum on 22 May, becoming the first country to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote.
A total of 1,201,607 people (62.1%) voted Yes and 734,300 (37.9%) voted No. The total poll was just under two million.
On the same day, the referendum to reduce the age of presidential candidates from 35 to 21 years was defeated.
Former RTÉ broadcaster Bill O'Herlihy passed away aged 76 on 26 May.
He retired from RTÉ in 2014, at the end of the World Cup, after a 49-year broadcasting career.
Many paid tribute to the broadcasting giant, including President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, RTÉ soccer analyst Eamon Dunphy and RTÉ Director-General Noel Curran.
Nine FIFA officials were arrested on US corruption charges at a hotel in Switzerland on 27 May.
Five sports marketing executives were charged alongside the FIFA officials.
Allegations of bribery have surrounded FIFA since the awarding of World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter was not among the nine officials arrested and won the FIFA Presidential election just days after the arrests.
However, Mr Blatter came under pressure to resign and stepped down shortly after being elected to a fifth term.
June 2015
Six students lost their lives when a balcony collapsed in Berkeley, California on 16 June.
The six people who died in the collapse were named as Ashley Donohoe 22, from Rohnert Park, California; Olivia Burke, 21, Eimear Walsh, 21; Eoghan Culligan, 21, Niccolai Schuster, 21 and Lorcan Miller, 21; all with addresses in Ireland. Seven others were injured.
Many paid tribute to the students, including Taoiseach Enda Kenny and President Michael D Higgins. The national flag was flown at half-mast on all State buildings and books of condolence opened in Dublin, Cork and Galway.
Cousins Ashley Donohoe and Olivia Burke were remembered at a "Celebration of Life" ceremony on 21 June.
A vigil was held in Berkeley and a memorial service was held in University College Dublin, where Eimear Walsh, Lorcán Miller and Niccolai Schuster were students.
The funerals of Eimear Walsh and Eoghan Culligan took place on 23 June, while the funerals of Olivia Burke and Niccolai Schuster took place on 24 June. Lorcán Miller was laid to rest the following day. Ashley Donohoe was cremated.
A preliminary investigation concluded that the balcony collapse was caused by "severe dry rot".
The district attorney launched a formal investigation in to the collapse but the Berkeley police department did not carry out a criminal investigation.
Two bodies, believed to be those of The Disappeared, were recovered from a field in Coghalstown in Co Meath on 25 June.
The discovery was made during a search for members of the so-called Disappeared - people abducted, murdered and buried in secret by the IRA.
The search was originally directed towards Joe Lynskey, who disappeared over 40 years ago, but Republican sources said that Seamus Wright and Kevin McKee were buried in the double grave.
Seamus Wright was from Belfast and was working as an asphalt layer. He was married and 25 years old when he went missing in October 1972. Some of his family members are senior members in Sinn Féin.
Kevin McKee was from Belfast and he disappeared in October 1972.
The remaining Disappeared are Columba McVeigh, disappeared on 1 November 1975; Robert Nairac disappeared in 1977; Seamus Ruddy, disappeared on 9 May 1985.
Three Irish people were among 38 people shot dead by a terrorist in Tunisia on 26 June.
Lorna Carty, from Robinstown in Co Meath, was on holidays in Sousse with her husband when she was killed.
Married couple Laurence and Martina Hayes, from Athlone in Westmeath, were also killed in the terror attack.
The self-styled Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for the terror attack and gunman Saif Rezgui was shot dead by police.
Part Two of the Year in Review will be published 01 January 2016.
